In this mini-episode, I look back on 18 years of matrescence as my oldest turned 18 — and I realized something powerful: the 3 Keys of my MotherFly Matrix were given to me by my daughters.

* Nehama, my firstborn, taught me about Container — the practices of self-care and self-compassion that hold me steady.
* Jade, my second, awakened Creativity — the fuel that lights my passion and keeps me connected to something bigger than myself.
* Amaya, my third, gave me the terrible gift of postpartum depression and anxiety — and with it, the necessity of Community. She taught me I couldn’t do this alone, that I had to learn to ask for and receive support.

These 3 Keys — Container, Creativity, and Community — are the antidote to the blocks that keep so many mothers stuck: shame, lack, and isolation.

If you’ve ever felt lost, overwhelmed, or like you’re carrying it all alone, this episode is for you. 💙

🎧 Listen in — and if you’re ready for more support, click below to set up a free Discovery Call:
👉 https://calendly.com/motherfly/speak-with-corina.4

In this episode, I interview 6 mothers who received a Closing of the Bones Ceremony from me. Variations of this ceremony are done in cultures all around the world. The version that I studied in depth is from traditional Moroccan postpartum care.

More than just a nourishing blend of treatments, this ceremony is a way to honor and acknowledge the significance of this rite of passage and the new role as a mother.  It's an opportunity for mothers to pause, integrate, and listen to what they wish to release and what they wish to call in. 

Throughout our conversation, common threads emerge that speak to the sanctity of birth and motherhood as well as the power of being witnessed and held during such a pivotal moment. I hope you enjoy.

If you are a mama feeling burnt out, overwhelmed, isolated, or off-purpose - I can help! Click the link below to set up a free Discovery session, and let's explore how I might be able to support you.

https://calendly.com/motherfly/speak-with-corina

My guest is actress Annet Mahendru who is known for her critically-acclaimed role in the series "The Americans". Her portrayal of Nina earned her a Critic's Choice Nomination for Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series. Annet then headlined The Walking Dead: World Beyond limited series. She can recently be seen in the Mark Wahlberg-Mel Gibson feature Father Stu.  She also stars in the coming-of-age film Manifest West, a film near and dear to her heart that she worked on with her husband, filmmaker Louie Gibson.  

With Mahendru delivering an emotional whirlwind performance in a film that addresses timely mental health issues,  Manifest West is a family project in another way with her co-starring role opposite brother-in-law Milo Gibson and her as co-writer/co-director. Manifest West had its world premiere at the Mammoth Film Festival, winning Best Genre Film.

Born to an Afghan- Indian father and Russian mother, Annet spent her early years learning 6 languages in the Middle East & Europe.  She planted the seeds of her career at eleven, choreographing a performance that earned her an appearance on German television, and returning to her roots studying Indian classical dance.

Annet is an avid breastfeeding-on-demand supporter and home birther.  She lives with her husband, writer/director Louie Gibson, and their three children. At the time of the recording of this podcast she was thinking about baby number three. They welcomed another child since June. 

Rachel Zaslow is a midwife and Executive Director of Mother Health International, a non-profit that works to reduce perinatal mortality rates through the education of midwives and the creation of sustainable birth centers in areas where the burden of mortality is highest. Rachel has worked with midwives and mothers in Uganda, Haiti, Senegal, Guinea, New York City and Virginia. She helped to start The Sisters Keeper Collective, a women of color-led initiative to address the disparities in birth outcomes for black mothers and babies. Additionally, Rachel holds a Ph.D. in Feminist Theory, and a Masters in Performance Studies. She teaches courses about Women’s Health, War and Trauma, Gender and Development, as well as the intersections between Narrative and Medicine. Prior to MHI, Rachel co-founded Earth Birth: International Women’s Health Collective to promote local practice, to facilitate the sharing of skills across cultures, and to protect the role of the traditional midwife. Rachel states, “My role as a visionary leader is to join hands with my team. I draw on feminist discourse to dismantle power structures and think strategically. So for any project, we start with: What is the issue, what are the root causes, what are our strengths and from that place, how do we address them.”

Nicola Huelin is a multi-award winning, business coach and mentor on a mission to empower one million mums in business around the world.
Author of The Invisible Revolution (listed in The Independent's 10 best business books written by women), international speaker, founder of Mpower for mums in business and the Mpower National Business Awards, Nicola has over 23 years experience in combining business success with family life Trusted for her expertise, caring and down to earth approach and holistic philosophy when it comes to business success, Nicola’s work has been featured on international TV and Radio and she is a regular business columnist. Nicola has connected, coached, and mentored thousands of women who dream of building a successful business on their terms.

In this episode, Guatemalan native Rosalia Gonzalez shares her journey through marriage and motherhood and how she managed to fight the cultural norms and create a life for herself outside of motherhood working for women's rights. As the executive director of Visión Guatemala, Rosalia empowers women and families around Lake Atitlan in Guatemala. Note: this episode is in Spanish.

In this short episode, I reveal the real reason behind my inconsistency with this podcast. It is a big reveal, which I won't say here. You'll have to listen to find out.

In this episode, I interview Malika Diggs, mother, social justice activist, and founder of the Eclectic Learning Network. Malika shares her journey of leaning into self-directed learning and unschooling both with her own children and eventually becoming a leader for other moms on the same journey.

In this mini-episode, I share why it's so important to adjust our pacing as mothers and revolt against the patriarchal programming that infiltrates our mothering with a nonstop and dizzying speed in life. I talk about the importance of pause and rest, which is counterculture, requiring a great deal of concerted effort.

Alicia Fishbein and Meredith Nelson are the founders of Intentional Birth, as well as seasoned doulas, with two decades of combined experience serving hundreds of families.  They are mothers and birth lovers who are passionately working to promote physiological, intentional, and instinctual birth from a foundation of trust. They have programs for both pregnant people and those who serve them. In this episode, Alicia and Meredith share their origin stories, their birth experiences, and their passion for reducing trauma and improving birth outcomes through education and support. As a sister culture maker, I really enjoyed our conversation. I hope you will too.

My guest is Jean Chung, co-founder of FAM, a member-owned health and wellness cooperative that focuses on community-based experiential learning through the arts. Jean learned from a young age that honesty and authenticity are valuable in building relationships. Her parents moved to the U.S. from Korea in the late 70s, and started a community in Virginia. They successfully led that community for over 30 years, which helped shape Jean's love for people, relationships, and values.

Her love for people and building relationships naturally led her to community building. Some of her greatest joys are seeing a group of people strive for a common goal and achieve it together, and learn about themselves along the way.

In our conversation, we explore the ways that the patriarchy has impacted the most powerful feminine experiences - pregnancy, birth, and motherhood - and how that has extended outward into lifestyle choices. Jean shares her story about pivoting from "the religion of obstetrics", leading her to create a short dystopian film about how we treat pregnant people and channel them through the machine and into a certain type of lifestyle.

My guest today is Heather Drozdowski. Heather is a mother to two girls under two and a stepmother to a 7-year-old boy.  She is married to her best friend and is raising her family in North Florida. 

Heather has experienced deep transformation and awakening from her birth experiences.

Her first was a homebirth in California and her second was a vaginal breech birth on The Farm.  Since her last birth, she has found a passion for discussing physiological and instinctual birth with various mothers' groups in her community and online. 

If you find yourself in a similar position to Heather, with your baby breech and no options other than surgical birth being offered to you, reach out to me here and we can set up a free consultation to see if you are a good candidate for vaginal breech birth.

Layla B Rachid is a multi-passionate/multidimensional & multifaceted entrepreneur. She is an author, change-maker & philanthropist - a kindred traditional soul, with a modern creative edge, seeking her own spiritual journey. Her first passion is reviving, reclaiming, and restoring women’s Ancestral Healing, inspired by her beloved homeland, Morocco.

She is the author of Revive Reclaim Restore, selling over 300+ books in 2 days to over 30 countries, founder of The Nafsa Project School, the first online traditional postpartum training school teaching Moroccan postpartum rituals and closing of the bones, founder of the Sacred Postpartum summit and the Tribal Sisterhood Retreat in Morocco.

Her second passion is supporting other women entrepreneurs to create and launch their own online offerings - with soul, strategy & success.

This interview was extracted and repurposed from my 2021 Map for a New Motherhood Summit, but the information is just as relevant today as it was 4 years ago. In the interview, I mention the importance of not only creating a birth plan, but also having a postpartum plan. A year later I wrote a Postpartum Planning guidebook, which is available here.

To connect with Layla and her work please go here.

In this episode, I speak with Kerry Ingram about the critical importance of having a village.  Kerry is the founder of Community Supported Postpartum whose mission is to build ecosystems of care one community at a time. She contributes to this vision by teaching folks all over the world how to create local parent and baby groups that get parents out of isolation and into a web of support and care.  Kerry is a parent (both biological and foster), an early childhood educator (20 years), a postpartum doula, with additional education in women and gender studies (SUNY Oswego), and maternal mental health care (PSI). She has been facilitating local parent and baby groups for nearly 10 years and teaches others around the world with her Postpartum Community Care course and curriculum on how to create their own groups.  You can connect with Kerry and learn more about her work here.

To set up a discovery session with your host, Corina Fitch, click here.  There's a lot of focus on creating a birth plan (which is important) but postpartum, which is a much bigger and longer process, is often overlooked and underestimated.

Akilah S. Richards is passionate about mindful partnerships and conscious parenting. She uses audio and written mediums to amplify the ways that unschooling in particular, is serving as healing grounds and liberation work for Black, non-Black Indigenous, and People of Color communities earthwide. Her celebrated unschooling podcast, Fare of the Free Child, and the numerous workshops and gatherings she has been part of, have garnered the attention of Forbes Magazine, The New York Times, Good Morning America, and most importantly, BIPOC families interested in living in more healthy, consent-based, intergenerational relationships. Her recent experiences within the intersection of privilege, parenting, and power are detailed in her latest book, Raising Free People: Unschooling as Liberation and Healing Work available through PM Press.

Check all things Akilah here   You will find her podcast, book, a Raising Free People deck, and even some cool merch all in one convenient spot. 

In this episode, I share my experience at The Revitalist, a ketamine clinic located in Knoxville, Tennessee.  Ketamine is a disassociative anesthetic with psychedelic properties that is being used for treatment-resistant depression, anxiety, and PTSD with incredible results.   While still not covered by many insurances and so therefore not easily accessible for low-income folks, it is headed in that direction and should be considered for any moms suffering from postpartum depression or anxiety.  To find out more about this innovative medicine, click here:  www.revitalistclinic.com.  They have 11 clinics around the country so there may be one near you.  If you're interested in setting up a discovery session with me to see how I might be able to help you shift out of burnout, depletion, depression, or chronic overwhelm, click here.  

It's been a while.  So long, in fact, that I am calling this the beginning of Season 2.  My first season got cut short abruptly and this episode is about what happened, why I dropped off, and where I've been.  I explore ideas around what it is to move at a sustainable pace, how we navigate the challenges of motherhood, including struggles with our mental health, including mindfulness practices and a very exciting new medicine that is transforming lives.  I also talk about the transformative power of birth and the developmental process of matrescence.  So grab a cup of tea, sit back, relax and listen...

Here is a link to learn more about the Buddhist mindfulness practice of RAIN that I mentioned in today's episode: https://www.tarabrach.com/rain/

In this episode, we discuss various aspects of motherhood including self-care, traditional postpartum womb steaming, sacred sexuality, and other programs offered by Chantal Blake.  Chantal Blake is a Womb Steaming Facilitator, Educator, and Project Manager.  Her combined training in Practical Nursing, Environmental Engineering, and Peristeam Hydrotherapy guides her holistic approach to wellness education that centers around self-care, sacred sexuality, and traditional womb steaming.

Chantal currently lives in Oman, where she unschools her two children and serves women through online consultations, workshops, summits, and courses.  You can find her on IG @honouredwomb and @bychantalblake or on her website at deeperfeminine.com. 

Today I am speaking with Karen Brody has taught the art of deep rest to thousands of women around the world and trained women to teach others in the art of rest primarily through a life-changing and life-saving yogic sleep tool: Yoga Nidra meditation.  She has taught at the Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health, 1440 Multiversity, and many locations around the world.  You can learn more about yoga nidra and her offerings at www.daringtorest.com. 

In this episode, I feature an interview with Maureen Fura, producer and director of the revolutionary film, "Dark Side of the Full Moon", which was intended to increase awareness among providers about the epidemic of depression, anxiety, and other mental health disorders during the childbearing year.  Maureen suffered from perinatal OCD, which impassioned her to learn more and spread the word about what has become the MOST COMMON complication of pregnancy.  

For anyone wanting a screening for perinatal mood disorders, please email me at corina@bellymamamidwifery.com.  Also if you or someone you know is struggling with depression, anxiety, or OCD please check out Postpartum Support International at https://postpartum.net/ or call their HELP Line at 1-800-944-4773 and they can help you with finding proper support channels.  You don't have to suffer through this alone, help is available.

There's a lot of focus on creating a birth plan (which is important) but postpartum, which is a much bigger and longer, is often overlooked and underestimated. If you'd like to purchase my postpartum planning ebook, click ⁠here.⁠

In addition, if you are a mama with a baby 3 years of age or younger you are welcome to join my free monthly online Postpartum Mamas' Circle, where we gather for nourishment, support, and connection on the 3rd Wednesday of each month.  You can find out more details and register here. 

Struggling in pregnancy or motherhood? Or simply feel like something is missing? Set up a free discovery session with me and let's chat.

Welcome to Mothertonue!  In today's inaugural episode, I discuss the foundations and vision for this podcast, which is ultimately about changing our cultural norms around motherhood.  Our current maternal care crisis and the epidemic of perinatal mood disorders are explored as well as the big 'M' word, matrescence--what it is and why it's important.  I also share my personal story of becoming a mother and my experience with postpartum depression and anxiety. 

For more resources in support of matrescence, click here. If you'd like to purchase Map for a New Motherhood: The Busy Mama's Guide to More Time and Energy, about how you can transform your experience of motherhood from surviving to thriving, click here.

If you're a postpartum provider, you know the juggle: supporting new moms while often navigating your own intense motherhood journey, battling burnout, and feeling stretched thin. This episode gets real as Maranda Bower of Postpartum University and I share our deeply personal struggles with postpartum mental health – from depression to bipolar disorder – and how those experiences completely shifted their approach to holistic postpartum care. If you're a doula, midwife, or any birth worker focused on maternal wellness and improving our current system, you'll want to hear this. We explore how understanding and embracing matrescence is crucial not just for your clients to thrive, but for you as well.

My guest , Maranda Bower is a medical researcher, author, mom of 4, and the founder of the Postpartum University podcast. Each episode delivers powerful insights into functional nutrition, hormonal health, and holistic practices for treating postpartum issues at the root. Her podcast bridges the gaps left by Western medical education, empowering providers to support their clients with individualized, science-backed, and traditional-aligned solutions.

You can find Maranda on her podcast - Postpartum University, on IG @postpartumuniversity, and on her website: https://postpartumu.com/.

This conversation is a little different. We were both going to interview each other on our individual podcasts and then decided to just do one combined episode that flows more like a conversation than an interview. I hope you enjoy...

In this soulful conversation, we follow Yadi's journey of matrescence into medicine work - her highs and lows, the obstacles she faced, and her unwavering faith.

Yadi Alba is a modern-day Medicine Woman, a vessel of ancient wisdom and a strong feminine force in our world. She brings spiritual principles into practical contemporary living. She’s worked with countless celebrities and influencers guiding them into the Embodiment of their Sacred Purpose through her method, which is based on Toltec, Aztec, and Mayan systems of knowledge.

She is a published writer, cofounder of the Goddess Wisdom Council, and has led workshops and retreats around the world.

If you are interested in her Initiation work, her program Medicine Way is now open, and you can write her directly through Instagram with the code word INITIATION @yadi.alba.

Learn more at https://goddesswisdomcouncil.com/.

In this conversation, Wakumi speaks about her work with social justice both before and after becoming a mother and how matrescence created a necessary shift in her work. She shares about how the stress of systemic racisim manifested in her daughter's body, despite doing all the right things to care for herself during pregnancy and having a fabulous midwife.

We discuss the significance of the village in transitioning from Supermom to MotherFly, highlighting how the concept of "village" can be expanded to encompass nature and spirit. I am so honored to share her work with you and I hope you enjoy.

Tanisha “Wakumi” Douglas is a mother, ritualist, and movement leader with over 20 years of experience organizing for healing and justice. Of Jamaican descent, descended from maroons, seers, herbalists, and farmers, Wakumi is the daughter of an undocumented father who spent 33 years incarcerated and a servant-leader mother—roots that shaped her life’s work.

She co-founded a national, youth-led abolitionist nonprofit, raising over $8M, and has held fellowships with Soros Justice and Move to End Violence. Wakumi has served as a circle keeper, social worker, and educator with Dream Defenders, Harlem Children’s Zone, and the Children’s Defense Fund.

Her work has been featured in the documentary PUSHOUT, on NPR, in HuffPost, and in books like Sing a Rhythm, Dance a Blues. She’s spoken at Google, NEA, and alongside visionaries like Dr. Angela Davis and Rep. Ayanna Pressley.

Now, Wakumi is focused on writing, sacred arts, and curating spiritual spaces for collective liberation and joy.
Connect with her: wakumi.world | giversrevival.world

Ruth is a multi-award winning expert nurse, midwife, and health visitor with more than 26 years’ experience in delivering secondary and primary healthcare services in the statutory and voluntary sectors of England. She is also a Pregnancy Mindset Expert, speaker, mentor, and coach, as well as a Queen’s Nurse, Winston Churchill Fellow, Fellow of the Institute of Health Visiting, Royal College of Nursing, and The Royal Society of Arts.

You can find out more about Ruth and her offers here.

Hey mama, are you feeling burnt out, overwhelmed, or off-purpose? If so, I can help! Schedule your free discovery session, and let's explore what it would be like to work together.

Nicky Dawkins is a holistic Full-Spectrum Doula and Fem Health Coach in Miami. She is the founder of Werk it Moms, which is a mom-driven soon to be charity organization that focuses on providing educational workshops, products, and safe spaces for moms in need of connection.

Nicky is also the Southeast Regional Coordinator and Miami Chapter founder for Period, which is a global non-profit organization fighting to end period poverty and stigma through service, education and advocacy.

Nicky works with moms from fertility to postpartum and everything in between. Her passion is to help birthing people and their partners have a healthy pregnancy and positive birth experience with as little intervention as possible. She provides pre and postnatal education and does a lot of advocacy work in reproductive health - She loves to talk about periods! She is also the Vice President on the Miami Diaper Bank board.

Nicky has a 5-year-old son and a baby girl on the way.

You can follow her here:

https://www.instagram.com/thankyounicky/

Feeling burnt out, overwhelmed or off-purpose? I can help! Set up your free discovery session and let's explore how we can work together.

Rohini spends her days on her ranch, milking cows, tending to honeybees, and learning from the native plants and herbs. As a Reiki practitioner and teacher, she finds great joy sharing quiet and loving space with others. Rohini loves to bake, write, and spend time with her husband. She has shared her life’s journey online for the last 7 years and has focused on grief, loss, and the spiritual journey in her recent writing and sharing.

You can follow Rohini here:

https://www.instagram.com/rohinielyse/

I would love to hear how this conversation lands for you, what stood out, etc. Share in the comments and please subscribe to my podcast to enjoy more great conversations.

Feeling burnt out or overwhelmed? Or simply off-purpose? I can help! Book a free discovery call today, and let's explore the possibility of working together.

Kimberly Ann Johnson is the author of the early mothering classic The Fourth Trimester: Healing Your Body, Balancing Your Emotions, and Restoring Your Vitality published in seven languages around the world. A sought-after practitioner and lead authority in postpartum health, Johnson has been working hands-on in integrative women's health and trauma recovery for more than a decade. Her work has been featured in The New York Times, Forbes, Vogue, New York Magazine's The Cut, Harper's Bazaar, Today.com, and many more. Kimberly is the mother of one